Burner construction for vaporizable liquid fuel



2 Sheets -Sheet 1 A. LALIBERTE Filed July 1, 1943 mmvmg. asnr Juupmns .us .u\ J 8 0 0 000 6 000000 000 00 i H 0000x00 0 0 0000 0 A Q 00000 Q 000000 00000 3 3 s June 24,: 1947. Y

gunman bous'rnuc'non FOR: VAPORIZABLE LIQUID FUEL June 24, 1947. A| |BERTE 2,422,686

BURNER CONSTRUCTION FOR VAPORIZABLE LIQUID FUEL Filed July 1, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I g 01 I: g

INVENTOR.

05/22 .1. muse-ere Patented June 24, "1947 BURNER CONSTRUCTION FOR VAPORIZ- ABLE LIQUID "FUEL Albert Joseph Laliberte, Naugatuck, Conn., as-

signor to Safety-Fuel Incorporated, West I Cheshire, Conn a corporation of Connecticut.

. Application-July 1, 1943, Serial No; 493,058

3 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in burner construction for flammable fuel.

One object of the invention comprises, inter alia, a non-pressure type of burnerconstruction in which the danger of a flash-back from the burner to the fuel feed is substantially eliminated. The improvement in burner construction of the liquid flammable fuel feed type in accordance with the invention essentially comprises a capillarily porous material and preferably a compacted infusorial material, such as a stone, brick, plug or the like of diatomaceous, preferably calcined, material, arranged and positioned with at least a portion of its upper surface in fuel-vapor feed communication with the combustion space of such burner construction, and means for feeding fuel to said material, preferably in combination with means for maintainingthe normal fuel feed level below such upper surface position and in contact with the capillarily porous material.

The invention, within the preferredembodiment thereof, includes a fuel receptacle in fuelvapor feed communication with the combustion space of the burner construction having the aforementioned capillarily porous material therein arranged, preferably as a disk or block, to substantially form with at least a portion of its upper surface a closure for the receptacle with "respect to the vapor feed communication.

The invention will be more fully understood and further objects thereof will appear from the following description read in conjunction with the drawings, in which: f

Figure 1 illustrates a cross-sectional side view through: a burner construction in accordance with the invention. l

1 came plane III-III :thereo'f.

As illustrated in the drawings, I illustrates a conventional type fuel canor ta'nk having a iconverging neck portion 2, aconstant level device 3 and aspring valve 4. Thec'fuellcan or tank I rests removably in the'insul-ated casing or cradle 5. Neck portion 2 of fuel tank 'I snuglyiits into the converging portion 6 of-cradle 5 by way of a ground fit 1. Converging :portion 6 forms the top of an enclosed level control tank 8 having the sides 9 and bottom portion in. The bottom portion I is so arranged that when the container t p-view through" in Figure 1 valve stem ll of spring valve mechanism 1 is pushed up by bottom It to' thereby open tank I. Level control tank I vents by way of the vent l2. safety screen II and vent line ii. The lower surface l5 of constant level device 3 defines the constant fuel level it inside enclosed level control tank 8.

'An overflowline ll communicating with overflow reservoir l9 and having the overflow lip IS in enclosed level tank 8 serves as acheck for the constant fuel level inside enclosed level control tank 8 in case of vapor pressure'increase inside fuel tank I. Cock 2!! permits withdrawal of fuel from overflow reservoir 19.

Th burner assembly as such comprises a series of concentrically mounted perforated cylinders 30, 3| and S2 defining the annular combustion chamber 33 and airJdistributing chambers 35 and 36. Air distributing chambers 35 and 35 are 20 provided'at their top with top closures :1 and 38' and at their bottom with bottom closures 3S and 40. Outer 6851M 41 and inner casing 42 hold therebetween the insulating material 43. Air intake ports and 4'5 supplyair to the air distrib '25 uting chambers and .36 respectively. v

A fuel receptacle 4% is mounted beneath the cylinder'assembly in direct" vapor feed commu-g nication' with -combustion chamber 33 'by' means of'the flanged extension ll-secured by' screws.

'30 Fuel receptacle 46 Iisprovided with-ajsubstantially heat and flame resistant. compacted capillarily porous material Bl characterized by a relatively' high capillary attraction with respect to" the fuel used in the burner. This material is a 5 disk substantially 'fillingthe fuel receptacle and extending to the side walls'of the receptacle to forman effective closure therefor with respect to itsvapo'r feed communication with' the combus- V tion'chamber. I Withinthe preferred embodiment I of t h e inventionthe capillarily porous material, withiiithe-fiilreceptacleis so constituted that it will capillarily absorb and hold uri f-crygii 'e.. driedito'a point of freedom from dripping iii-ex".

are, 'for" instance, fcapillarily porous abrasives,"

ial' origin, and others.

For best results, I prefer to use as the capil- 50 lary porous material a calcined kieselguhr or diatomaceous material, preferably compacted into brick, block, disk or the like form, of an absorption capacity of about 70% to'72% of its volume of such fuel as gasoline or kerosene. Kieselguhrs l rests in cradle 5 with a=satisfactory fit at I, of the desired type and characteristics are, for

cessof 50% and'pr'efi'arably in excess'of"65%'6f' its 45 'voliimein fuel."- Suitable materials' of "thistypa',"

instance, commercially available in the form of compacted Celite or the like base materials such as insulating and similar bricks, stones or blocks and may include infusorial products compacted by low temperature fusion hardening.

As illustrated in the drawings, fuel feed 80 controlled by valve 6| feeds fuel from fuel level tank 8 to the bottom fil'offuel receptacle 46. Fuel 1 receptacle 48 'is so arranged with respect tothe constant fuel level 16 in fuel level tank 8 that the bottom line 83 of fuel receptacle 48 is slightly 4 r vides additional safeguard against overflowin and spreading of flames.

The foregoing description is furnished by way of illustration and not of limitation and it is, therefore, my intention that the invention be limited only by the appended claims wherein I have endeavored to claim broadly all inherent novelty.

'I claim; 1 i

i 1*. Iri a burnerconstruction of thevaporized normally liquid flammable fuel type which burner construction has means defining a combustion below the fuel level Hi to insure proper feeding of the fuel and its adequate contact with the capillarily porous material 41. Fuel feed line 80 is provided with a drain line '63 controlledby valve 84 and leading to overflow tank l9'toperm it draining of fuel from the fuel receptacle" and fuel feed line 60. c I

Inthe practical operation of the burner construction in accordance with the invention, liq-' uid fuelfrom the bottle or container I discharges space for the combustion of an intimate mixture of .vaporized fuel and air, the improvement comprising afuel receptacle, 9, capillarily porous substantially compact material defining. with at leastfa portionof its upper surface, a closure for said receptacle, substantially air excluding means i for feeding fuel vapors from said receptacle, above saidclosure, to said combustion space, means for into'the closed fuel level tank 8 through'the neck portion 2 and the valve mechanism 3 moved to open position by valve stem ll resting on the bottom portion III of enclosed level tank 8. Fuel discharges into tank 8 until it reaches the lower surface 15 of the cap or constant level device 3,

thus establishing the constant level 18. From tank 8 the fuel passes through feed line 88 controlled by the valve- 6| tothe bottom of the fuel cup 48* and thus into contact with'the capillarily liquid level inside tank 8 and will thus eliminate the danger of flooding of thetank and/or the fuel receptacle. This arrangement makes the use of gasoline "or other fuel ofrelatively' high vapor pressure possible for a liguidffueltype burner. In hitherto usedburner constructions this could not be done and relatively low vapor pressure fuels such as kerosene or the like could not be in contact with said material.

feeding fuel into said receptacle below said closure, and means for maintaining the normal fuel feed level in said receptacle below said closure and 2. In aburner construction of the vaporized normally. liquid flammable fuel type, the'improvement in accordance with claim lin which said capillarily porous material extends insubstantial thickness within said receptacle and constitutes a compacted infusorlal material having -a 'capil employed since these constructions were subject to the d anger'of flooding and thus to fire hazards. The provision of the capillarily porous material forming 'a' closure for the fuel receptacle interposed between'the fuel feed and the burner assembly renders the burner absolutely safe against flash-back and insures an improved and uniform' vaporization of fuel, thus resulting in increased combustion efficiency of the burner. The construction in accordance with the invention is fur therfcharacterized by ,the advantage that it is substantially spill-proof in that there is no possibility at any point for liquid gasoline or like fuel to spill out and to come into direct contact with a flame.

Aside from the advantages hereinabove enumerated, the use of the capillarily porous material in the fuel receptacle permits the feeding of fuel tothe burner'through this material by capillary lary absorption capacity for normally liquidflax'nmable fuel to be fed to said receptacle of at'leas't of its volume. 3. In a burner construction of the vaporize'd normally liquid flammable fuel typ the improve-" l ment in accordance with claim 1 in which said capillarily porous material is a block of calcined highly p'o'rouskieselguhr substantially filling said I receptacle.

' ALBERT JOSEPH LALIBERTE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the flle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name I Date 65,846 Van Tine June 18, 1867 7 179,431 Tower July 4, 1876 255,230 Wright Mar. 21, 1882 286,914 Dimock et al Oct. 16, 1883 624,889 Ashley May 9, 1899 734,710 Hornbos tel, July 28, 1903 1,271,325 Kinealy l July 2, 1918 444,278 McDaniel Jan. 6, 1891 1,043,488 Waugh Nov. 5, 1912 1,852,261 Piatt Apr. 5, 1932 1,891,855 White et al Dec. 20, 1932 1,601,242 Ennis Sept. 28, 1926 2,032,231 Stollberg Feb. 25, 1936 2,348,422 Schaefer May 9, 1944 428,096 Hathaway May 20, 1890 vFOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 26,983 Great Britain 1 904 "815 Great Britain 1894 6,344

Australia '..Mar. 31, 1927 

